


The Process of Being Slightly More Okay Than Yesterday

by Being_creative_is_hard



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Percy, Gay Male Character, Nico’s coming out, Some Minor OCs - Freeform, This follows Nico’s outing, bi Percy cause I said so, everyone is basically, jason is supportive, sorry Rick but gay people can write gay people better, the outing is just mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29975301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Being_creative_is_hard/pseuds/Being_creative_is_hard
Summary: Nico deserved a better coming out.
Relationships: Nico & pretty much everyone
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	The Process of Being Slightly More Okay Than Yesterday

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a more realistic portrayal of Nico’s coming out. I didn’t change the fact that he was outed by Cupid, this story just puts more emphasis on Nico’s experience and mindset. It also gives him more development before coming out to Percy.

They were a few thing that Nico kept to himself. Like that time Percy lost his memories and Nico lied about not knowing him. But he had reasons for everything that kept to himself. Usually something along the lines of "it's better for both camps" or "knowing would put them in jeopardy." 

But there was only one thing that he kept to himself for his own sake, and he was doing well enough until Cupid had gotten involved. Cupid had weeded out that crucial piece of information in front of Jason. 

Nico had once tried to tell an undead soldier, he didn't even get the words out before he threw up his happy meal. So Jason knowing certainly wasn't helping him keep his food down. Jason, however, had an absurd approach to the issue at hand. He was acting like nothing had changed. Like there was nothing to react to in the first place. He had just spoken some reassuring words that he would keep his secret. 

But Nico could remember the way that people had reacted to such things years ago, and he could remember what Bianca had whispered to him about it. 

He had only brought it up because the other boys were calling him names. He had timidly asked Bianca what she would do if they had been right. 

"Nico, people don't welcome anybody who's like that. And they probably won't for a long time." She hadn't said it to be cruel, if anything she sounded sad. She hadn't answered his question but Nico knew what she thought about it. Nico never brought the subject up again.

Nico knew that things had changed since then, but the idea that someone like Jason could be okay with someone like Nico was preposterous. But despite all common sense Jason seemed to be completely ignoring what Cupid had said now that they were back on the Argo. Sometimes it seemed like the only way people could deal with Nico was by ignoring him. 

He had tried to avoid Jason, but anytime he saw Jason talking to someone outside earshot he panicked. Nico knew that Jason was a good person, but he also knew that he had been lied to before. Thus he began a routine, he would follow Jason to make sure he wasn't sharing anything he wasn't meant to, avoid Jason once he picked up on Nico's presence, he would then attempt to intimidate Jason into complete silence, an act which Jason would furrow his brows at when he noticed Nico glaring at him. Nico would then repeat this flawless strategy the next day. 

But Jason had proven determined to ruin any chance Nico had at avoiding the situation when Jason confronted him after dinner one evening. He was at least glad that Jason hadn't said anything during dinner, Nico usually avoided situations where he was unnecessarily surrounded by people, but he had started to linger in the background ever since Jason had found out. So he had noticed Jason side eyeing him more than usual and frowning at his food. The shock was minimal when Jason seemed to follow him after Nico had finished helping Hazel and Piper with the dishes. Hazel had insisted that it was fine if he was tired, that it was Hazel and Piper's turn anyway. But Nico hadn't been taught to believe in fair, so he helped despite their protests, partly because he felt obligated to, and partly to avoid Jason. 

He had snuck back to his room on the ship after carefully avoiding everyone else. He'd bought himself about ten minutes before Jason came knocking on his door.

"Nico, can I come in? I want to ask you something." 

Nico analyzed Jason's tone, he seemed hesitant but there wasn't that thickness to his voice that indicated a threat. The next thing Nico analyzed were the words, Jason wanted to ask him a question, so Nico would have to answer him. But he was also asking if he could come in, which implied that Nico could say no. Which maybe indicated that he could refuse the question as well. So Nico said yes, despite his inclination to do otherwise. 

Jason opened the door a moment later, his stress painted on his face. Nico didn't know what Jason was worried about but it couldn't be anything good, and he certainly couldn't think of a reason for Jason to come to him about it. Unless he was involved, unless he was the problem. The shadows grew a little larger; his eyes a little darker. 

"I've noticed that you've been avoiding me." Jason spoke in a rather blunt manner when he didn't know what else to say. 

Nico didn't really understand what Jason was getting at. Why did it matter? Why did he care? Most people were happy when they didn't have to be near him. Even Bianca.

"I kind of want to know why." Jason was one of the few people that didn't shy away from eye contact with Nico. A fact that was becoming more and more obvious the longer Nico kept quiet. 

"What does it matter to you? I'm not bothering anyone." Nico noticed the furrow of Jason's brows and the pull at his lips, and wondered if there was something he was missing. 

"Why wouldn't it matter to me? I don't want you to avoid me." Jason lied with a certain thickness to his voice and a twitch in his fingers. So when neither were present during the statement of his last sentence Nico couldn't help but be surprised. 

"Why not? Of all people you should know better than to want me around." To say that Nico wanted that to come out of his mouth would have a poorly concealed lie. But the look on Jason's face told Nico that he wouldn't be able to take it back. 

"What? Why wouldn't I want you around?" Jason was confused, genuinely confused. And it was almost enough to get a laugh out of him, for the first time in what felt like forever. 

"Don't tell me you've forgotten everything about me." Nico was smirking now, mulling over all the little reasons and the one big one. "It was only what? Two weeks ago?"

Jason's brows pinched together again and after a moment he remembered what happened two weeks ago. 

Croatia. Cupid. A forced confession. 

"That's why you've avoiding me?" Jason said it as though it wasn't obvious, as though it wasn't a satisfactory reason. "Because I found out you're gay?" 

That was the word. The word Nico had never heard spoken with dignity, being used in reference to him. So naturally, he hissed in response. There was something so wrong about somebody else being more willing to address a part of you than you yourself were. And it scared Nico, as many things about himself did. 

Jason had decided that the silence meant yes and was now coming to sit on the bed as well. Nico didn't know what that meant but his form grew tendrils that pulled the nearest shadows closer. 

Jason was still for a minute before speaking again. "There was this kid I knew at camp, she was a daughter of Apollo. When she was fourteen she got her first girlfriend, a daughter of Minerva. They did everything that everyone else did, they were the same as everyone else. Aside from the gender of the people they dated, they were the same, so they got treated as such." 

Nico's eyes were locked onto Jason now, watching in wonder as he spoke freely of people like him. Without a hint of disgust or anger in his tone or posture. 

"Before the big seven prophecy, I knew this boy, he was only seven or eight. And he always said he was going to marry me when he was older." Nico tensed, reminded of the feelings he had harbored for a specific Greek demigod. "Obviously I didn't reciprocate, this was a literal child." That made him remember the way Percy treated him, did Percy really hate him? Or was Nico just blinded by his feelings? By his anger, adoration, sadness, and grief? "But he was dead set on his goal, and nobody had a problem with it. He had a crush on someone, and that's completely normal. No one from the camp shunned him or treated him like the plague." 

Nico could feel the wetness in his eyes as he realized what Jason was saying. Jason was telling him he was normal, or as normal as one could be when there was no solid definition of the word in question. Jason wasn't going to shun him, he wasn't going to do anything that people like him would have done decades ago. He was going be there, and maybe he was going to let Nico stay too. 

"Nico I'm sorry." Nico was startled, what did Jason have to be sorry about? "I should have said more in Croatia, I should've talked to you sooner. If I had realized . . . I don't want you to avoid me Nico." 

Nico swallowed the lump in his throat. "I don't think I want to avoid you either, but it wasn't your fault that I did." His voice was shaky and he felt like cursing but he refrained in favor of not bringing more attention to his disheveled state. 

"But if had just said something-" Jason began to protest. 

"I probably wouldn't have listened. I needed time to process the fact that you knew. And besides, if you had done what you did just now I'd probably have been worse off than before." 

Jason nodded slowly, and began again. "I don't want you to avoid me, and I certainly don't want you to avoid me because you think I have a problem with you being gay. But I want you to know you can always talk to me if you want to." 

Nico wasn't usually one for talking to people, but for once he thought he might try taking someone up on the offer.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, I would love to hear feedback!


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